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Sunday, September 13, 2015

From April to June Jase was in Clarksville, TN selling. I got to go out there 3 times to see him and I really grew to love this place. We were about an hour from Nashville and it was so fun getting to explore that city. It's a place that wasn't necessarily on the top of our list to visit BUT I am so glad that we got the opportunity to. I love it there and would not be mad if we went back to visit when we have more time time to explore.

If you ever find yourself in Tennessee (Nashville specifically), here are some of the things we did and I recommend.

This is the grungiest looking restaurant but with that comes amazing flavor (; I ordered a beef taco, tortilla soup, and their pineapple aqua fresca and I have craved this combo everyday since I first tried it. Hands down this is the number once place I recommend to eat here. Definitely look it up and go get you some yummy Mexican food! I found a few blogs who have copycat recipes for Mas Tacos and I can't wait to try them when Jase gets back! I'm really going to miss this place!

This place has the most unique hamburgers. I ordered the Cheeseburger which has Cheddar, Swiss and Muenster cheese on it and DANG, it was so good. I also heard the Farm Burger was really good! I switched out my regular fries for sweet potato fries and was glad I did, they were really tasty! Maybe hit up Mas Tacos for lunch and then The Pharmacy for dinner because they are both amazing.

We came here a couple different times and just cruised up and down the street. We usually would pick out a restaurant to eat at that had live entertainment and we had a blast hanging out, eating and listening to live music. Lots of museums to go through if you have the time. I love the culture here, it's everything you would think Nashville is. I was ready to turn in my converse for some cowgirl boots!

Lots of yummy food and things to see here! We got to sample things like peach cobbler and mini donuts and then of course there was unique jewelry, antiques, etc for sale.

Jase's work schedule is crazy so it's hard to get to do a lot when I was there to visit. Here are a list of things I plan to go back and do one day, preferably when the CMA's are happening because there are TONS of concerts to attend on the river which I think would be a blast (:

Check out this sunset from Jase's apartment in Clarksville, they always had the prettiest sunsets out there! PLUS they have thousands of fireflies and it is AMAZING when they come out at night! Tennessee is truly a beautiful place!

PS My favorite restaurants in Clarksville were Cheddars and Old Chicago....they are chain restaurants but I sure will miss them not being in Utah!

Warning: A whole lot of rambling on this post, I had so much to say about this but couldn't really make sense of everything on my mind....plus I'm SO behind on blogging so I'm trying to hurry and get caught up which means I'm not spending time "proofreading". So bare with me...

I have to admit that never (and I mean NEVER) did I ever think I would be one of those "summer sales wive's". It was never in Jase and I's "plan". Jase's brother has done sales for a couple years now and it was always something that got brought up but it was never something we considered. It just wasn't right for us at the time. But this year Jordan was pushing it more than ever on Jase, he did not stop talking to him about it while we were in Panama this March and that's when Jase started to wonder if he should at least give it a shot.

The weekend after we returned from Panama, I headed up north to celebrate my nephews birthday while Jase stayed back to work. While I was gone Jase met with his potential manager and they talked about what Vivint had to offer. I wasn't aware that they were going to meet but he called me afterwards and told me he had and I knew immediately without him coming out and saying it that we were going to be taking this new journey. He said that he worked something out so that I could stay here and keep my job but I would be able to come out and visit him up to 9 times.

After that phone call we didn't really talk about the situation very much, it was kind of the elephant in the room. It was just easier to not talk about it because if I thought about it too much I would just cry knowing that we were going to be living in different states all summer. NOT IDEAL. There was a lot Jase had to get done in a very short amount of time so that he could go out and sell. Most importantly he needed to take a test and only had one chance to pass before the season started, otherwise we wouldn't actually be taking on this new journey. Everything was so last minute with this whole situation so it was kind of crazy around here during this time. Jase had ZERO time to study for this test so I was a nervous wreck. Deep down I knew we were making the right decision but I really needed something to confirm those feelings so I prayed and prayed that if this was the right thing to do, that Jase would be able to pass this test (because honestly it was kind of a long shot). Well obviously we know by now that he passed...by one point. PHEW! Once he got his test results back it all became so real. It was pretty overwhelming knowing that in a couple weeks he would be leaving. I called my family and let them know what was going on and I just cried on the phone. Happy and sad tears. They supported our decision and told me they would come visit lots. After a few days went by of again not talking about it, I finally broke down and told Jase that we had to talk about this even though we both didn't want to. He knew I was struggling so he took me on a drive and just let me cry. He was the biggest sweetheart and knew exactly how to comfort me that night to make me feel better about the situation. I wasn't necessarily scared, I knew he would be okay and that he would do great, I knew WE would be okay, but I was just so sad that we were going to miss out on so many things this summer. But he put everything into perspective and my eyes finally dried up and I was ready to take this on. So we booked his flight for April 20th and we got him ready to head out to Tennessee. What a bittersweet day it was to watch him leave that day. I almost felt like I was sending him on another mission.

And now here we are on week 22 of Jase being gone which means we are on our last week and I couldn't be more excited. His last day is this Saturday and then he will make the LONG drive home from Clarksville, TN. That will be a good, good day when he pulls up to our cute little home. We have missed him here a whole lot.

This summer hasn't exactly been easy but it hasn't been hard either. Jase was super good at making sure he made time to text and call me each day. He always made me feel missed and made sure to check that I was doing okay. It was kind of fun because in a way it felt like we were in our "dating" stage again. I would get so giddy to see him each time I went out there. BUT let's be real....I'm more than ready to get back to "married" life where I see him everyday, get to cook for him, clean for him, etc. I've missed him hogging the bed covers, leaving every drawer or cupboard open, and most importantly...TAKING THE TRASH OUT (;

I just want to give a huge shoutout to some people. We couldn't have gotten through this summer without the support from all our amazing family and friends. You guys helped play a role in making this summer a good experience.

So, thank you to my family for coming and visiting when I asked you to so that I didn't go crazy from being home alone all of the time. For understanding that I would be traveling a lot to see Jase which meant that might not have been able to visit you as often as I would normally like to. You guys are everything!!

Thank you to Jase's family for always inviting me over for dinner and to hang out. For helping keep the yard up and helping with Swoon. I married into one amazing family and I am so grateful for your kindess and love you show me.

Thank you to my work for understanding this unusual circumstance and allowing me to travel to see Jase. For trusting me to keep up with my work load while being away.

Thank you Jordan for pushing Jase to take advantage of what Vivint had to offer. For helping him become a good salesman and being his support system out there. Oh AND for sleeping on the couch whenever I came to visit (; I know Jase looks up to you in so many ways!

Thank you to all my friends for inviting me to do things with them or coming over to keep me company. I'm so blessed to have you all in my life.

Thank you to Jase's friends who stepped up and helped me with Swoon and anything around the house when I needed help. Jase is lucky to have such great friends!

Thank you to Jase's manager for this awesome opportunity and for making it possible for me to fly out and visit my husband. For taking a genuine interest in Jase in order to help him be successful at this job.

Thank you to all the other "summer sales wive's" that were so welcoming and kind to me while I was out visiting. You guys sure made those long days in an apartment much better and I feel so lucky to have met all of you wonderful ladies. Let's stay friends forever.

Lastly, THANK YOU JASE! Thank you for working looooooong hours in the heat and humidity, for working on bettering yourself, for providing for "our family", and for sacrificing so much in order to achieve both your and my goals. This job is a total mind game and I can't tell you how proud I am of you for overcoming the hardships. I've told you since day one that I am your biggest fan and I promise I will continue to be everyday of our lives.

Everyone always asked how I did it? How I was okay being home alone and how I could be away from him for so long? My answer...I just did. I had faith in our decision and because of that I chose to "be okay" with those things. I've learned a lot through this sacrifice, we have been so blessed because of it and I wouldn't trade those lessons and blessings for anything. We are all stronger than we think and I think both Jase and I proved that this summer.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

So Jase and I have this "thing" where we always sing "On the road again....can't wait to get on the road again" because it seems like we literally are always "On the road again.." So we officially have chosen that as our life's theme song" so you can assume whenever we are headed anywhere we are definitely singing that song to each other.

Alright so let's go clear back to March and talk about our Spring Break trip with the Langstons to
P A N A M A. OMG this trip was UNREAL. Best 9 days of my life. We had a blast exploring beautiful Panama, I still am dreaming about going back. We got a killer deal on flights, so if you ever are wanting to go...watch the prices of flights because seriously it was the best deal and there is not need to spend a fortune to fly there.

Here's a recap of what we did all week (:

Friday night we headed to Vegas to stay the night and get up for our EARLY flight Saturday morning. Man it was rough getting up...BUT the good news was that our flight wasn't full so we all got our own row to lay down on and sleep. HEAVEN RIGHT?! PLUS we got 2 free meals on the flight. Bonus. EVERYONE USE COPA AIRLINES. The plane was super nice, free meals, and free TV, music and videos. They really impressed me and set the standard real high for an airline.

Once we arrived in Panama City we took a bus to get our rental card. Bad news...the rental car company wasn't there so it took a while to get that figured out, but we ended up getting the van we rented for the week, so all is good.

We headed to the hotel to get settled and then starting walking to the restaurants and shops that we were told were less than a mile down the pathway. Yeah, there weren't any places....we were told wrong. But it was fun to walk around that evening and we got to enjoy the view of The Bridge of Americas that was right outside our hotel. We eventually found a place we could each, which was good because we were starving by this point. We grabbed some dinner then headed out to the market to get some snacks for the week. On our way back we decided to drive to the temple...our GPS on our phones did not want to cooperate for us so driving around Panama City was crazy. We were just using the little blue dot and trying to use that to get us around but MAN, we were making U-turn after U-turn trying to figure that city out. I honestly was worried for us at that point and thought..."If it's like this all week..I'd rather just stay in Panama City the whole time". I thought we would never find our way around that country. Luckily outside of the city it was much easier to navigate. We never found the temple that night, only an LDS church that was in the G H E T T O in the middle of a neighborhood. So we gave up and headed back to the hotel to catch some Zzzz's.

Jordan was on a different flight from us (he wasn't planning on coming because he thought his Spring Break was the following week and didn't want to miss school...come to find out it was the same week so he booked his flights later than us) so he took a taxi at like 2 in the morning to the hotel to meet up with us.

Sunday we got up, had some breakfast then headed to find the Panama Canal. GUYS...not knowing Spanish is tricky when you are in a Spanish speaking country. Jase, Jordan and Kaden know some of the basics but that is it. It was an adventure for sure. We thought we headed the right way to the canal but just our luck...we were wrong. We tried to ask locals for instructions but that was a joke. Finally a guy drew us a map and by some miracle we were able to find our way to the Panama Canal. Thank goodness everyone was patient during all of this. It was quite the struggle at first but we survived.

The Panama Canal is crazy cool. Like honestly, that thing saves SO MUCH TIME and the engineering behind it is so interesting. Definitely worth seeing. It was perfect timing because right after we got out of the video presentation, there was a boat coming through. Such a cool experience to watch how it all works.

After that we attempted to find the temple again. I looked it up on my laptop at the hotel and got instructions that way. (MUCH MORE ACCURATE) It was close to the canal so it worked out well. It was so beautiful. You are just driving around dirty Panama City and then you turn on a street and drive up to this AMAZING building. It's so out of place, yet in the perfect location.

The boys were having a blast catching Jase for some reason....

Once we were done with that, we geared up for our drive to Boca Chica. All of us pretty much crashed during the car ride. We probably stopped and got McDonald's on the way. We ate WAY TOO MCDONALD'S on this trip. I am sick just thinking about it. We were so disgusting but it was like the only option we had on our long drives. The worst is that their menu had like 5 items so everytime we ate there we had the same thing, and I was just SO OVER IT. The boys were in heaven (ew).

The fun thing about Boca Chica was that we had to take a water taxi to the island we were staying on that night. It was so cool. When we pulled up to our place we realized there was the looooooooongest staircase ever that we had to pack all of our luggage up. HOLY WORKOUT! But sooooo worth it. We stayed in the coolest little bungalow type places...what an experience. So many funny things happened that night. Kaden couldn't sleep because he was worried about a baby lizard that had crawled on the wall by his bed, we ordered $7 burrito's for dinner and they were for sure the frozen burritos you get at the grocery store, Jordan broke all trust that I had in him by looking me in the eyes and telling me he was not the Mafia, AND the best part...I locked Jase, Jordan, Kaden and I out of our room. *sigh* We sat and knocked on a door for a solid 30 minutes trying to get the owners attention. No luck. We did not know what we were going to do. Finally I walked down a few rooms and found the guy who owned it (miracle) and he came and unlocked it. We had been knocking on the wrong door the entire time.

We woke up the next day and it was the coolest thing, there were a few monkeys swinging around in the trees literally right outside our room. Janelle had said she had read that we would see them and we all gave her a hard time saying "sure, that's what all places say...." but sure enough there were real life monkeys swinging right in front of us. It was really amazing! (: After breakfast we got ready for the next adventure. We had rented a boat that was our chauffeur for the day. We started at a Private Beach...this was like a real Private Beach. Not one other person was on this island and the white sand was GORGEOUS. Probably in my top 3 things we did this trip. We played baseball, swam, and even cracked open coconuts and ate them. Such a relaxing/fun experience. We headed to the next island where there were people and we all found us a place to lay down in the shade and take a nap. It was heaven.

The dreaded staircase

That was where we stayed on the top of the hill

Once we got back we packed up and took the water taxi back to the main island and started our journey to Baquette. Janelle referred to this town as the "park city" of Panama. More tourists are here and it's a nice little town.

We had to get up early the next morning so we could go white water rafting. There was a bit of a drive to get to the river. Jase and I split from the fam and joined a group of 4 others. Of course we had a splashing war the entire time between the Langston's raft and ours. Our poor new friends didn't know what they were getting themselves into...

We went to a little local Bistro for dinner that night and got some ice cream afterwards. It was a beautiful little place.

We were supposed to drive to the Boca Islands that night but the owner of the hotel let us know they stop the water taxi's just before dark so we stayed here an extra night and got up the next morning to drive to the Boca Islands. Since we were there for the night we walked to the little market a block or two down from our hotel and spent $2 on some sodas and Ritz cheese crackers (so cheap), then the boys stayed up watching tv and I hit the sack.

Wednesday we made it to the Boca Islands! This is where we would be for the rest of the week until we headed back to Panama City. Once we got there we did a tour that took us first to Starfish Beach. It was raining like
crazy (still super warm). We were drenched before we even got to the beach. We hung out and
swam and the boys all dove for starfish. You aren't supposed to take
them out of the water but we were rebels and took them out for a few
seconds, just long enough to snap some pics with the beautiful
creatures. I've never seen so many starfish is so many shapes and sizes.
They were so cool. 5 stars for Starfish Beach ***** We met a little
friend at the beach. His name was Paulo. He saw my phone and kept touching it so I started
talking to him and then we became BFF's. He followed us around for a
while, then he disappeared for a bit. Next thing we new, he was in the
water with us swimming in his underwear. He spoke zero English but was
the sweetest little boy. After the beach we went out to Dolphin Bay to
see the wild Dolphins. It was really quite the site. We saw a few pairs
of dolphins (or maybe it was the same pair, different location...who
knows) and we could have just watched them forever. They even came right
up in front of the boat one time.
For dinner we went back into town (everything was just on this small
little island that you could walk all the way around) and had some more
pizza for dinner.

**Side note** Wednesday after our 1st tour, we put a deposit down with
the same guy to take us on a tour on Thursday.....ya he never showed up Thursday morning!
Moral of the story...never pay for something in advance there, you
never know who you can and can't trust! They are good people over there
but you always have the ones you can't trust.

Jase put the goggles on because we were getting his so hard with the rain on our boat ride

Starfish Beach...Gorgeous right??

Thursday we went to Red Frog Beach and had a little picnic. On the way out we saw a bunch of sloths chilling in the trees that are in the middle of the ocean. Sloths are THE WEIRDEST animal ever. They literally move SO SLOW. I'm not sure why we don't say "as slow as a sloth" instead of a turtle. They are the most interesting animal I've ever seen (and ugly). After our picnic we went Ziplining in the rainforest. OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! Like it can't get much prettier than that. It was amazing! We had a lot of fun! On our way back we went through a really shallow part of the ocean and there were hundreds of starfish you could see through the water. I'm telling ya, SO MUCH BEAUTY IN PANAMA! You have to go see for yourself!

Jordan left his shoes at our hotel and it was R O C K Y

Friday we went to another isaland that was a National Park called Coya Zapatillas. Again it was DOWNPOURING at first. We walked all around the island and got drenched. We put our towels over us and they were sopping wet. Nothing that will stop us from having a good time though. We sat and let the rain pass as we had a picnic under a pavilion. Once it cleared up we went and laid out on the dock and got FRIED. We all didn't think we were getting much sun but we were bright red by the end of the day. On the way back we stopped at a place to snorkel and it was so beautiful. The coral was so many fun colors. Just straight up beautiful. That day was Jordan's birthday so we went out for dinner and celebrated him turning 23! We were told to try Arroz con pollo and patacones, which we did and I'll give them both 2 thumbs up! Definitely try those if you ever find yourselves in Panama! I am actually craving that now that I'm talking about it! (Way better than the McDonalds we had been eating in previous days...thank goodness there was no McDonalds on the islands)

Shelter from the rain

Saturday we woke up early and made the drive back to Panama City. We got a lot of napping and reading time in on the drive back. We went out and got some dinner at a rotisserie chicken place (YUM) and then headed to the hotel and zonked. We were so beat from all the fun we had all week.

Sunday we got up and had breakfast, the boys went and played basketball at the courts across the street. It was SO STINKING HOT so they didn't last too long. They came back and showered then we went and got some frozen yogurt. Then later that afternoon we headed back to the airport to head back to the states.

What an amazing week we had! Panama is truly beautiful and I hope to make it back there someday! If anyone wants to go, just let us know....I'm sure we would be up for being your tour guides (; Jase and I kept saying that we need to move there and live the "simple life". WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE WE HAD, one we will never forget...that is for sure!